Main content

Does Coal Have a Future?

President Trump has vowed to revive the US coal industry in the US, but can it be done?

President Trump says he is a friend of coal country. He promised to end the "war on coal" and bring back jobs in the coal mines. A year on from his inauguration and he seems to have made good on some of his pledges. Late last year his administration overturned several Obama-era regulations on mining and energy production. But can coal really make a comeback? Coal production remains a source of cheap electricity around the world but it's up against the rising availability of natural gas and increasingly competitive renewable energy. Could clean coal technology help re-brand a dirty fossil fuel? And how will China's move away from coal affect the picture?

(Photo: a coal miner in Ukraine. Credit: Getty Images)

Available now

50 minutes

Last on

Sat 20 Jan 2018 12:06GMT

Contributors:

Bill Raney - President of the West Virginia Coal Association

Janet Redman - U.S. Policy Director, Oil Change International

Benjamin Sporton - Chief Executive, World Coal Association

Dr Sarah Wykes - Climate and Energy Analyst, CAFOD

Also Featuring:

Isabel Hilton - CEO and editor of Chinadialogue.net

Randy Smith - West Virginia Senator (Republican) and coal minerΒ 

Broadcasts

  • Fri 19 Jan 2018 00:06GMT
  • Fri 19 Jan 2018 09:06GMT
  • Fri 19 Jan 2018 18:06GMT
  • Fri 19 Jan 2018 23:06GMT
  • Sat 20 Jan 2018 04:06GMT
  • Sat 20 Jan 2018 12:06GMT

The Real Story Podcast

Subscribe via your favourite podcast app...

Podcast